


Path to You

by BananaMilkis



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cute, M/M, Protective Bokuto Koutarou, Romance, Volleyball Dorks in Love, soft bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananaMilkis/pseuds/BananaMilkis
Summary: "Hey, hey, hey! Don't be like that bro!" A deep voice rang out in the air, cutting off Akashi's thoughts He rounded the corner and saw three figures huddled together but he zoned in on the man that looked to be laughing out loud. The man was big, his built twice as large - probably twice as strong too-  as Akaashi’s, he had two-toned hair, and a big smile plastered on an angled face.Safe.Basically Akaashi getting followed by a random guy and Bokuto's there to save him.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 40
Kudos: 437
Collections: My favorite haikyuu fics, maazeesfavs, maazesfini





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I randomly thought about this in class on day and couldn't get it off my mind so this exists now. I hope you guys like it!

Akaashi Keiji knew he was an attractive man. From the compliments he got from family and friends, along with past partners - Akaashi was blessed from head to toe. However, his “blessed” features were currently causing him a bit of trouble. Akaashi had just finished class and was heading to a cafe to study for a bit when he like someone was looking at him. It was the type of feeling the had the back of his neck tingling and the hairs on his arms to stand straight. Not a good feeling. It didn’t help that there wasn’t anyone else on the sidewalk than him and the other person.

Akaashi turned to face the crosswalk that he sped walked too. In his peripheral vision, he could make out an older looking male that hunched over, trying not to be obvious but Akaashi wasn’t stupid, he understood body language easily. He could feel his hands start to shake, he needed to go into a public area, he needed somewhere safe to go. He’s never been in a situation like this before, it made his heart beat unnecessarily fast and made him break into a cold sweat. He started to cross the street, grabbing his phone and quickly dialed his mother. 

One ring, two, three, four. Akaashi hung up before it rung again and looked at the time. It was almost four, his mother would be still working at this time. The person behind him was getting closer. Akaashi picks up the pace, seeing a four way. _There could be shops there_ , he would be safe if he could just get inside somewhere and - 

“Hey, hey, hey! Bro, don’t be like that!” A deep voice rang out in the air, cutting Akaashi’s thoughts. He rounded the corner and saw three figures huddled together but he zoned in on the man that looked to be laughing out loud. The man was big, his built twice as large - probably twice as strong too- as Akaashi’s. He had two-toned hair, and a big warm smile plastered on an angled face. 

_Safe_.

Akaashi quickly made his way to the group, eyes on the man. “Hey, there you are!” He didn’t mean to yell at them but the adrenaline that was pumping in his veins made him panic. Three sets of eyes looked at him with a weird look. The aura from the man that was behind him felt wary now. 

Sweat gathered on his forehead as he tried to play it cool but Akaashi’s nervousness was present as he twisted his fingers together. The silence going on for a bit too long.

The two-toned hair man opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the smaller man. “You finally showed up.” 

Akaashi looked at the smaller of the three men, his cat eyes looking intently at him. 

“Oi, Kenma what are you -“

“Yeah, where’ve you been? We’re starving and Bokuto wouldn’t shut up about it.” The tallest among them said loudly, placing his hands at his hips as he scolded Akaashi. 

“Hey! Why’re you telling him that?! We don’t even kno-“ Bokuto was cut off once again but this time by the taller man jabbing his side. The two looked at each other, and to what Akaashi could see from them, it was a form of communication. Bokuto’s eyes darted past Akaashi and then darted to his own. 

“Y-Yeah! I’m starving because of you! So that means you gotta treat us,” a playful smile was placed on Bokuto’s face, making Akaashi give a small laugh. 

“Yes, yes, of course, Bokuto-san. I’m sorry I’m late.” Akaashi inwardly sighed and then was startled as a heavy arm dropped onto his shoulders. He looked up to see Bokuto glaring daggers behind him, probably at the man, and then proceeded to drag him in a random direction, the other two following their lead. 

Akaashi felt the rate of his heart slow down, a wave of relief flooding his entire body. He was safe. He glanced at Bokuto, who still had his arm flung around him and said in a soft voice, “Thank you Bokuto-san.”

Bokuto looked down at him and then grinned another big smile that took up the majority of his face. “You’re welcome!”

For some reason, Akaashi could feel his heart speed up once again. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for making you guys wait for this chapter T.T it's been rough with homework this semester but I wanted to upload as soon as possible. Thank you for everyone who has read this, I really appreciate it!

Akaashi would’ve thought that after putting much distance from the stranger, he could relieve the group of his presence. However, that was not the case. 

Bokuto had dragged him all the way to a yakiniku place and had stuffed him in the corner of a booth -trapping him in as Bokuto plopped happily next to him. The other two sitting across from them. 

Akaashi didn’t know what to do. He looked at the smaller one, Kenma if he remembered, and saw that he had pulled out his phone, tapping away at it. Then he looked at the one next to him, this one was the tallest but had the same energy that Bokuto was exuding. Akaashi watched as the two talked animatedly to each other, their voices booming over the other customers. 

“Excuse me?” His voice was soft, awkward but it caught Bokuto’s attention as he whipped his head over to Akaashi.

“Oh yeah, what do you want to eat? Other than the meat you know cause that’s what we’re here for but like sides, appetizers. Wait, we gotta get drinks first!” Akaashi made a mental note that Bokuto not only talked a lot but he was… everywhere. Akaashi couldn’t put it into words. 

“Oi, Bokuto! Don’t yell at him, you’re gonna scare him off!” 

“Kuro, you’re doing the same thing.” Kenma didn’t look up from his phone as he talked.

“Noooo, Kenma, you have to be on my side to make a point for birdbrain!” Kuroo threw himself onto Kenma, who glared at him annoyingly and tried to shove him off. “Come on, Kenma, you know you like this.” Kuroo taunted.

As the two bantered, he felt Bokuto lean in closer next to him. “I’m sorry about them. Even though they’re dating, their personalities are on two different ends.” 

Akaashi only nodded. A pause in silence and then, “I forgot to ask about your name!” Akaashi flinched at the raised voice next to his ear. Bokuto realized this and lowered his voice. “Sorry,” Bokuto said sheepishly, “I dragged you all the way here and I don’t even know your name.”

The banter from the other two had died down and now they were all waiting for Akaashi to answer.

“Akaashi Keiji.” He said softly.

“It’s nice to meet you Akashi!” Bokuto grinned.

“It’s Akaashi,” he corrected and Bokuto tilted his head in confusion.

“Akashi.”

“Akaashi.”

“Akashi.”

He closed his eyes and sighed. Apparently this gesture made Kuroo burst out into hyena laughter. “Bro, you can’t even say his name right!”

“Kuroo, don’t make fun of me,” Bokuto pouted as he started to argue back with Kuroo. 

“I’m sorry for these two. Kuro’s really smart but when paired with Bokuto, he loses all of his brain cells.” Kenma looks back down to his phone for a bit until he adds, “Kozume Kenma. But just call me Kenma.”

“Awe, you’re already made friends without my help Kenma,” Kuroo cooed with a smug grin before turning to Akaashi. “Kuroo Tetsurou.” 

“Bokuto Koutarou!” Akaashi turned to the voice next to him. Another note he made was that Bokuto smiled a lot. A smile that was very attractive as well. 

“It’s nice to meet all of you and thank you for helping me as well,” Akaashi said, adding a small smile. A waitress had come to take their order, even though no one had looked at the menu, Bokuto seemed to know what everyone wanted. With Akaashi, he asked multiple times if he was okay with an item before actually ordering. _Cute_ , Akaashi thought. 

“Hey, Akashi, why was that guy following you anyway? Does this usually happen to you?” Bokuto looked over at him with a tilt of his, curiosity filling his amber eyes. Akaashi sighed; in all honesty, it was kind of embarrassing to admit that he didn’t necessarily get followed all the time, but being flirted with and catcalled by other people did tend to happen when he walked by himself. Add onto the fact that Akaashi got flustered whenever it tends to happen to him, causing him to either panic or freeze up. 

“Bokuto-san, it’s Akaashi,” he sighed once more. "I was walking by myself to study at a cafe, and he just started to follow me. Older men are fond of me for some reason but it’s usually them trying to talk to me. This is the first time someone’s actually followed where I was going.” He looked up at Bokuto and was surprised to see his face scrunched together in agitation. 

“I don’t blame them, you’re pretty nice to look at,” Kuroo’s comment broke the silence and also Bokuto’s train of thought.

“Hey, don’t say that! You’re going to make him uncomfortable and also we don’t know if he’s traumatized from all those people annoying him!” Bokuto yelled a bit too loud. However, that wasn’t the problem at the moment for Akaashi.

“Bokuto-san, ‘traumatized’ isn’t the word for my situation. It doesn’t really correlate with me whatsoever.”

“Oh… so when should I use it?” Bokuto was clueless, Akaashi made another note. 

“Bokuto has trouble with words from time to time. It’ll take him a while to actually understand how to use them in a correct sense,” Kuroo stuck his tongue out playfully at a sulking Bokuto as he tried to understand how to use the word properly. 

“I see. However, Bokuto-san, I appreciate your worry for me but Kuroo’s comment means nothing to me. If I’m being honest, he would fall in the same category of all those other men that mess with me.”

Kenma let out a small huff from where he was.

“Did-did you just compare me, _me_ , to an old man?” Kuroo asked incredulously. 

“Ha ha ha! Bro, he just called you a disgusting old man!” The boisterous laughter of the man next to Akaashi was enough to bust a vein on black-haired man’s forehead. He watched again as the two taller boys argued with one another while Kenma played his game on his phone; they were an unusual group of people but Akaashi seemed to not mind it at all. It felt nice. 

As time went by, the group ate and talked. Kenma, Bokuto, and Kuroo were all college students, just like Akaashi, but they went to a public college, whereas he went to a private one. Kuroo and Bokuto being in their last years. Kenma and Akaashi both had a year left. The three men all lived together in a small apartment just a couple of miles from the restaurant yet complained that it was too tiny; all of them were working more in order to afford a bigger complex. Then there was Akaashi who lived by himself in his own small apartment but found seldom peace in the confined space. It turned out he didn’t live too far from them.

“Oi, Akaashi! We should all hang out then since you live close to us! You could come over,” Bokuto exclaimed, clearly excited that his new friend was in walking distance. 

“If we’re going to hang out, I rather it not be in our apartment, we can’t fit another person in.” It was Kenma who commented, picking at the vegetables on his plate with a sad look on his face. Reason being that Kuroo confiscated his phone and wouldn’t give it back until he ate everything Kuroo gave him. 

“I would like that,” Akaashi smiled at them, glad to have made new friends. He had some friends from school but everyone had their own schedules to abide too, hence not being able to hang out with each other. 

After eating everything, all four guys were satiated from their hunger.

“Okay, pretty boy, pay up.” Kuroo leaned back in his seat and eyed Akaashi with a mischievous glance.

“Excuse me…?”

“Remember? You agreed that you would pay because you were late.” It was Bokuto this time, grinning like the Chesire Cat. 

“I thought that was just part of the act?” Akaashi’s palms started to sweat, he didn’t actually think they were serious. 

“Pay up pretty boy.” 

“He could’ve left after the whole situation was over with but Bokuto ended up dragging him with us and trapped him in the booth. Shouldn’t that mean that Bokuto should pay for it.” Kenma looked up from his plate and eyed the two other men, who were at a loss of words. 

“It’s fine Kenma, I’ll pay. I did say that I would.” Akaashi grabbed his wallet, grabbing what money he had left.

“Wait, Akaashi you don’t have -.” Bokuto started but was cut off.

“Bokuto-san, you and Kuroo-san are right. It’s the least I could do after you guys helped me out. I’ll pay for our meal.” With Akaashi’s stoic face and insistent behavior, it did the trick to guilt-trip the two older men. 

“Okay, okay. We’ll pay for it. Just stop making us feel bad.” Kuroo caved and grabbed his own wallet, pulling bills out. Bokuto did the same. 

“You and Kenma play dirty,” Bokuto complained.

“I can be even dirtier if you push me to it.” The words were out of Akaashi’s mouth before he could stop himself. He had always thought before he spoke but in this incident, he did not. A blush had taken over his features with the realization of his words; he looked at Bokuto, who had a faint blush dusting his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.” 

“It’s fine…” Bokuto looked dazed, making Akaashi want to hide away from him. 

They all walked out of the restaurant together starting to make their way in the direction of their homes. They were all going in the same direction until Akaashi had to make a turn. “My place is this way.” 

“It was nice meeting you! Hope we can hang out soon,” Kuroo called to him as he put his arm around Kenma, the smaller man giving him a tiny wave of his hand. 

“Same here,” Akaashi said and started to walk away. He had gotten a few feet until he heard someone come up from behind him. He turned to see Bokuto running up to him, a frantic look in his eyes. “Is everything okay, Bokuto-san?”

“Oh, um. I just thought that since it’s dark outside and you’re walking by yourself, I should at least walk you home. You know! Just in case you get followed again,” He was scratching the back of his head in his panic, the gesture making Akaashi laugh at him softly. 

“If you’re sure then,” Akaashi answered back and started to walk away. His words clicking into the taller man’s head after a few minutes, Bokuto ran to catch up with him. 

It was a quiet walk, to Akaashi’s surprise, the two side by side. This gave him a chance to look at Bokuto better without anyone eyeing him weirdly. Bokuto was quite tall, half a head taller than him but tall nonetheless. He was also packed with muscle. The shirt he was wearing straining around his biceps and chest, flowing freely as it went down to his torso; a very nice body. While relaxed, Akaashi could see the sharp jawline that adorned his face, which was free of any marks or acne - he was attractive. 

They both had made it to the front of Akaashi’s apartment building; he turned to Bokuto to thank him for the walk home but Bokuto beat him to it. “Thank you for letting me walk you home.”

“I should be the one thanking you, Bokuto-san.”

“Uh, yeah but walking with you was nice and stuff… Sorry, I’m being weird, aren’t I? It’s just that sometimes I feel left out when I walk with Kenma and Kuroo because they’re a couple and stuff and they do cute things together, so I’m third-wheeling until Kuroo brings me into the conversation. It’s just lonely sometimes and I just wan-“ Bokuto stopped his ramblings when he heard the soft laughter of the black-haired boy in front of him. The way Akaashi’s eyes closed and his hand coming up to cover his smile while he laughed gently. It made his heart race. Akaashi seemed to notice that Bokuto was just staring at him and abruptly stopped, feeling an embarrassment blush heating his cheeks. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh at you. You’re really something, Bokuto-san and I’m glad that I was able to make you feel happy.” He gave the two toned hair man a small smile. Bokuto felt like he was about to explode. There was an attractive guy in front of him, he needed to make a move. A smooth one at that but he couldn’t move a muscle. _What do I do? What do I do? Imma mess this up and be forever alone,_ Bokuto’s mind was racing in panic as he thought of a way to shoot his shot. “Bokuto-san?”

“Coffee!” He blurted out. Akaashi looked up in surprise, a question already forming on his lips. “I mean- sorry, that was out of nowhere.” Bokuto laughed awkwardly, “but would you like to go get some coffee tomorrow morning? Before class starts… but I don’t know when your classes start, so whenever you’re free, that’ll be great! If you can’t then I’ll totally understand; you’re probably busy all the time and have more important stuff to do than getting coffee with me-.”

“Okay.” 

“Okay?”

“I would love to get coffee with you tomorrow morning, let’s exchange numbers and I’ll text you when we can go. If that’s fine?” Akaashi grabbed his phone from his pocket and gave it to Bokuto who just looked at it. His brain was slow, trying to catch up with what was going on but he did the same, handing his phone to Akaashi as they exchanged numbers. Both guys felt their blood soaring in their veins. 

“Um, yeah just text me and then I’ll be over before you even know it!” The taller boy exclaimed with a huge grin splitting his face. Akaashi couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Bokuto-san,” he said and turned around to go back inside. He could hear behind him Bokuto’s “ _yes!”_ And excited exclaims as he walked inside.

Bokuto on the other hand stayed where he was until Akaashi went inside. Still overly happy that he had a, possibly, date with Akaashi. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked this, and I'll try to get the next chapter up in the next couple of weeks!


	3. Chapter 3

Their first “date” didn’t go as planned. The plan was to meet up at a coffee shop near their apartments at 8 since Akaashi had a class right at 9:15. This would give both men time to get ready and have time to get to know each other. Yet, they both had messed it up somehow. 

Bokuto had stayed up too late, being excited about getting coffee with Akaashi had made the man too fidgety and energetic to even shut his eyes for five minutes. Akaashi on the other hand had went right to sleep when Bokuto had confirmed their set time for the next morning, however when he had woke up at the ass crack of dawn and was starting to feel anxious. _What if he changes his mind? What if I bore him?_ Akaashi rubbed his eyes from sleep and decided to get ready; he looked at the time, 6:12 A.M. He had about two hours to get ready. 

He hurriedly got out of bed and brushed his teeth, making sure to swish his mouth with as much mouthwash he could. Then he checked if he had everything packed for school, grabbing things if they were missing from the bag, and then he made his way to his closet. Akaashi wasn’t much for dressing up, having to always stick with a t-shirt and jeans, maybe a jacket if he was feeling fancy but other than that, he never put any thought in his outfit. Today was different, he _wanted_ to dress up. He picked out his first outfit and tried it on, looking at himself in the mirror after seeing how he looked. It… was what he usually wore. For the next hour, Akaashi had gone through his entire wardrobe, trying on different combinations of clothing; he had decided on a white t-shirt that was tucked in black pants, a loose black jacket was draped over his shoulders. 

He sighed to himself, _this really took an hour and it doesn’t even look that special._ Even so, Akaashi hurriedly placed all his clothing back into his closet and then dragged a chair in front of the mirror. Akaashi then decided his hair needed to be tamed, however, he had just ended up making it worse. Thick strands of hair were sticking up everywhere, more so than before, and it had started to frizz up. He groaned. _Maybe a hat could cover it up_. 

On the other side, Bokuto, even though he had been up for most of the night, had forgotten to set up an alarm. He had jolted awake when Kuroo had burst into his room, complaining to him that he needed to borrow a hairbrush for his bed head. Bokuto looked at the time on his phone, squinting as his screen lit up brightly. 7:45. 

“KURBRO, WHY DIDN’T YOU WAKE ME UP!” He had yelled as he jumped out of his bed, scrambling to the bathroom.

“What do you mean? Don’t you usually set an alarm?” Kuroo watched as Bokuto panicked. “Doesn’t your class start at 10 anyway? What’s the hurry?”

“I told Akaashi that we could get coffee this morning before class! I’m going to be late!” Bokuto distressed as he had trouble finding his toothbrush. Kuroo walked over to his best friend and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Hey, chill out. You don’t take long to get ready and he’ll understand if you’re a few minutes late, right?” Bokuto nodded as he tried to calm down; the loud beat of his heart pounded in his chest. _Yeah, Akaashi seems pretty cool enough to understand that being late happens. Yeah, it’ll be okay_.

“Thanks, bro,” Bokuto sighed out. Now calm and aware of his situation, he continued to find his toothbrush and proceeded to take a shower based on his analysis that he would still probably smell like last night. He looked at the time once he stepped out - he had five minutes. “My god, the one time that I wanted to be on time to something, I mess it up,” Bokuto moped to himself. Yet he kept composed and quickly dressed. 

“You get him,” he heard Kuroo call out to him as he walked out the front door. He gave him a grin and dashed to his destination. 

As Bokuto ran to meet with Akaashi, the latter was ten minutes early. Akaashi had failed in finding a hat to cover his god awful hair and was hoping it would just fix itself as time passed. He was also nervous. This was the first time Akaashi tried to impress someone; of course, he had previous relationships but they had never lasted long anyway but with Bokuto, he wanted to at least look nice. Akaashi waited at the corner of the coffee shop, trying not to look around for Bokuto to pop up, he distracted himself by fixing his clothing or looking at his phone, which was a mistake. It was already 8, with no signs of Bokuto. 

_Maybe he forgot?_ His hands started to twist together from being anxious as time passed on. Still no signs of Bokuto. Akaashi sighed out in defeat as the time read 8:15, he could text Bokuto but then what if he did actually forget? Or worse, decided he didn’t want to come anymore? He didn’t want to feel the hurt if that were to be true, so Akaashi decided to walk to the train station. However, three steps in, he heard a loud voice yell out, “AGAAAASHEEEEEE!”

Said person turned around to see Bokuto, with his arms out, dash up to him and crash into one another. The two men ended up on the ground, and Akaashi was aware of the arms that wrapped around his head to protect him from the impact of the ground. The two sat up after a bit, Bokuto having his head hung down as he strained out, “Sorry for being late! I didn’t mean to make you wait for me, but you probably think I’m a horrible person that was gonna stand you up, right?! I was so excited for today that I slept really late and didn’t even set up an alarm. I’m so stupid I couldn’t even remember to do that and now I’m late and -“

“Bokuto-san.” Bokuto stopped his ramblings and looked up at Akaashi who had a soft smile on his face. “Please don’t say those things about yourself, it was an accident so you don’t have to be so judgmental about yourself. I _was_ thinking that you weren’t going to show up but I shouldn’t have assumed that about you. So, I apologize, Bokuto-san.” 

“Wait you don’t have to apologize, Akaashi! You did nothing wrong, it was me-“ 

“But you ran all the way here for me, right?” 

“I would run around the world to get to you,” Bokuto stated out, his golden eyes burning with such intensity that it made Akaashi blush and look away, embarrassed. “Oh my god, I really just said that out loud. We don’t even know each other that well but I’m being all weird towards you!” Bokuto covered his face with his large hands, embarrassed by his earlier statement; the gesture made Akaashi laugh at him. 

“I’m glad to know that, Bokuto-san.” Bokuto felt like he was staring at an angel right in front of him. Akaashi was _so_ pretty, ethereal even, to the larger man. “Should we go inside now?”

“Oh-oh yeah, sorry I didn’t mean to knock you over!” Bokuto got up, gently grabbing Akaashi’s hands to help him up as well. _He looks nice, what did I do to deserve this! “_ You l-look really nice.” He scratched the back of his head as he looked away. 

“Thank you, I wanted to look nice for you,” Akaashi said quietly, suddenly shy. The two eventually went inside and everything that the two had worried about disappeared. They both chatted with one another, learning of each other’s interests and hobbies- talking about random things just to be able to continue the spark that was happening between them. 

It was 8:40 when Akaashi had brought up that he needed to catch the train to school in order to make it in time. Bokuto, of course, not only walked Akaashi to the train station but rode it and walked to the campus with him. In the time span of all this, Akaashi had asked every two minutes if it was really okay for him to do that. Bokuto laughed at his worries and reassured him that it was fine. 

“What’re you doing this evening?” Akaashi had asked when they were at the entrance of the school.

“I have volleyball practice at 4 but after that I’m free.” Bokuto crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, looking up as he thought, not paying attention to Akaashi’s intense stare. _Why’s he so attractive._

“Do you want to have dinner with me…?” Akaashi refused to look the taller man in the eyes as he asked his question, his cheeks flaring up a pink. He felt a hand cup the side of his face, forcing him to look up in front of him into two glowing orbs. 

“I would love to, Akaashi.” Bokuto’s voice was deep with affection that made a shiver go down Akaashi’s spine. It seemed like Bokuto knew of this and gave a playful smirk. “I’ll see you later tonight.” His thumb swiped the smaller man’s cheek with care and then was off, leaving the other to watch in awe as he walked away. 

_Yeah, I have a crush on him,_ was what both were thinking.

* * *

It was Akaashi first who determined that his crush on Bokuto turned out to be that he liked Bokuto. They had made it a regular for Bokuto to ride the train with him to school, which he was grateful for the company. It was one incident where they were sitting aside each other, talking like usual until Akaashi made eye contact with a man that was across from them. He knew that that the man was looking at Akaashi before they even made eye contact, but he didn’t want to cut into Bokuto’s story he was telling him. 

However, in the middle of his story, Bokuto stood up hastily and then stood in front of Akaashi, grabbing one of the hooks from the train’s ceiling to keep balance. “Bokuto-san, what’re you doing?” 

Bokuto looked down at Akaashi and smiled his signature smile, “As I was saying Akaashi, Kuroo was so mad at me that he just started to have this tantrum.” Bokuto continued telling his story, leaving Akaashi to have no choice to continue to listen. Halfway through the story, Akaashi had laughed, his head down but when he had raised it, his eyesight was met with Bokuto’s stomach. _Wait… did he know?_ He was standing right in front of the man, blocking his view of Akaashi. His head whipped up to Bokuto as he was still laughing, the big grin still resting on his face. “What’s wrong Akaashi?”

He shook his head with a smile on his face, his eyes crinkling with happiness. “Nothing, Bokuto-san, just really happy.” 

_I like him._

* * *

For Bokuto, he knew he had liked Akaashi the first time he saw him which resulted in his crush but it didn’t really click that he _liked_ liked him until he saw Akaashi play volleyball for the first time. 

He had had a run-in with not only Akaashi, but Akaashi’s friends when he had gone to the gym to practice his spikes. One thing that was on Bokuto’s mind was that it was the first time he saw Akaashi wear gym clothes, his lean legs being showcased in his gym shorts made it hard for Bokuto to look anywhere else. The second thought was that Akaashi was a setter. “AKAASHI WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE A SETTER!!” Bokuto had yelled, making the younger boy shrug his shoulders as if it were nothing to mention at all. 

The last thing that was on his mind was that Akaashi’s friends very different from Akaashi himself. They were rowdier, like Bokuto and Kuroo, but violent? He didn’t know how to put it but after witnessing the person referred to as Iwa-chan wack the back of the other’s head with such force threw Bokuto off a bit. However, Akaashi had reassured him, saying, “That’s just how Iwaizumi-san treats Oikawa-san most of the time but he still cares for him.”

Oikawa had suggested that they play on teams of two since Bokuto had shown up and it would be an interesting game to see how if Bokuto was any good or not. Of course, he had agreed with the idea, he wanted to show off how an amazing player he was to Akaashi, yet that wasn’t the case here. It turned out that Akaashi was the one showing how amazing a player he was.

He had received the ball that Iwaizumi had spiked, the ball making its way over to Akaashi. Bokuto watched as it landed softly onto Akaashi’s fingertips, watched as he flawlessly set the ball to Bokuto who was already jumping in the air but too distracted by Akaashi to actually hit it. In punishment for not paying attention to where he had jumped, Bokuto collided with the net, unceremoniously landing on the ground with a painful thud, and listen to the squeak of shoes as they moved towards him. 

“Bokuto-san, are you okay?” Akaashi’s head made its way into his vision, the furrow of his brows showing the worry he had for the bigger man. Bokuto just blinked at him, unsure of what to say to Akaashi after making an embarrassment of himself. _I totally looked uncool just there,_ Bokuto mentally face palmed himself. However, the image of Akaashi setting to him, the concentration in his gunmetal eyes as he gave the ball to him, was imprinted into his memory. He wanted to see more of what Akaashi could give, to see what else he could do. “Bokuto-san?”

Bokuto looked Akaashi in the eyes and made a conclusion.

_I like him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, it's up! I feel very accomplished with this chapter since Bokuto's scene was rewritten like five times T.T But I'm satisfied with how it came out and I hope you guys are satisfied too! Thank you for all the kudos and comments, you guys really encourage me to keep writing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that it took so long for this chapter to get posted, school is really brutal right now but I was determined to get this done for you guys! So I made it pretty long, probably the longest chapter that this story will have. Hint, there's some smut near the end, hence why this was rated M in the first place but there's a lot of fluff. Like a lot a lot so I hope you guys enjoy!

“Hey, Akaashi, after you get out of school, how about we go out and eat with Kuroo and Kenma?! They really liked the leftovers from that one restaurant we went to - Akaashi? Are you listening?” 

Akaashi, who was not paying attention to Bokuto, snapped his head up and looked at the owl. His hair deflating from the fact he wasn’t listening to whatever he was saying.

“I’m sorry, Bokuto-san. Can you say it again?”

“What’re you thinking about? Is something bothering you? Are you worried about your exam?”

Today was Akaashi’s midterm exam; he had stayed up most of the night studying all the material, going over them and, and memorizing everything in order to ace this exam. Even though he had done what he thought was necessary to do well, his anxiety was spiking more so than usual. His fingers were twisting together painfully as he was anxious. 

His silence answered Bokuto’s question as they both stopped at the front of the gate to the college building. 

“You’re going to do great. Do you know why?” Akaashi shook his head. “Because you’re Akaashi. Smart, wonderful, beautiful _Akaashi_.” Bokuto grabbed his hands to break them apart and hold them into Bokuto’s own. Akaashi looked down at their conjoined hands to Bokuto’s serious face. “You have nothing to worry about because I’m going to be cheering you on from a distance, so don’t worry!”

Akaashi’s heart sped up, it seemed like Bokuto had a way for him to continuously on add to the list of why he liked him. “Bokuto-san, I’m lucky to have you.”

Bokuto started to sputter, not entirely sure how to respond to Akaashi but the shorter boy laughed softly and smiled.

“Don’t say stuff like that out of the blue, Akaashi.” Bokuto pouted but squeezed Akaashi’s hands with happiness. “But you’re not nervous anymore, right?”

Akaashi nodded.

“You can do this,” Bokuto’s hands now were settled onto Akaashi’s shoulders.

“I can do this.”

“Just relax.”

“Relax.” Akaashi turned to start to walk into the building but paused. “Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah, what’s u-“ 

Akaashi was not the person to do things spontaneously. Wasn’t the person to act before he thought, but he threw those thoughts aside as he pressed his lips onto the taller man. Bokuto’s lips were slightly chapped but still soft, they were non-responsive at Akaashi’s surprise kiss and from what Akaashi could tell, was in shock. When he pulled away to look at Bokuto, the taller boy was left dumbfounded; his eyes were wide open like saucers and his whole body was frozen. 

“I’ll text you when I’m done,” Akaashi said and turned back around. 

He had made it up the stairs when he heard Bokuto yell to him. “I’ll be waiting!” 

* * *

Bokuto was in class, bouncing his leg in anticipation of Akaashi’s text. He couldn’t even pay attention to what his professor was lecturing, all he could think about was Akaashi’s lips on his. The soft, plushness of his lips pressed into his… chapped lips that he forgot to put chapstick on because he was going to be late to the coffee shop where Akaashi always waited for him. Bokuto dropped his head on the desk with a loud thud causing everyone to look at him.

_I should’ve put chapstick on today. Akaashi probably noticed. AHHHH this is so embarrassing!! Our first kiss and my lips are disgusting_ , Bokuto thought, not aware that his professor was standing in front of him.

“If you’re going to fall asleep in my class, you may as well not show up.” Bokuto quickly picked his head up and scratched the back of it, giving an embarrassing laugh as the professor continued class. Bokuto caught Kuroo, who was sitting next to him, eyes; the raven-haired boy’s face questioning what was wrong with him. He only gave out a sigh, bouncing his leg once more until he stopped when he felt a vibration in his pants.

_I think I did well. Thank you for your support, Bokuto-san. I really appreciate it_. Akaashi had sent him, making him grin widely. Bokuto then got an idea. He was going to surprise Akaashi with a date. 

_Yeah, a date. He’s gonna want to go on one, right? Right…?_ Bokuto started to feel his brain deplete as he overthought the whole situation. Settling on giving a quick text to Kuroo.

_Bro, I need help._

* * *

_“_ Okay, so you’re freaking out because you have chapped lips. It’s not the end of the world.” Kuroo said lazily to Bokuto as they say in the library, Kenma was next to Kuroo trying to study but focusing more on his phone than his textbook. This made Kuroo to constantly nudge Kenma to get back on track. 

“But like, that’s pretty gross, right? Like his lips were the best lips I’ve ever kissed, they were so soft and nice and they fit right into my chapped, ugly lips.” Bokuto complained, his whole body drooping on the table to show how in despair he was in. 

“Then go get chapstick. Stop freaking out over it.” It was Kenma this time who spoke.

“Yeah, go get some chapstick, give your lips a pamper, and then give Akaashi a big smack on the lips. Done. Easy, bro.” Kuroo smiled, leaning back in his chair feeling accomplished. 

“Okay, okay, chapstick. I gotta go buy chapstick, but how do I ask him on a date?” Bokuto turned his head to look at his two closest friends. 

“Don’t you guys already go on dates?” Kenma asked, genuinely curious.

“What do you mean?”

“You go over to Akaashi’s house all the time, sometimes he makes you dinner. Sometimes you guys go out for dinner. You two meet up at a cafe every morning and then you walk him to school. Akaashi goes to your practice to surprise you and then sacrifices hours just to set for you. Every time we go out, you always glare at other people if they just look at him, you’re literally a guard dog. Akaashi listens and is patient with you; he's willing to do anything to make you happy. You two are stuck together by the hip and you’re telling me those don’t count as dates? Or any indication that you two were already dating?” Kenma deadpanned, looking at Bokuto who was in shock that he didn’t realize any of that. 

“Kenma, how about you go easy on him,” Kuroo sighed. 

“If I go easy on him, then he won’t understand that Akaashi will say yes to him no matter how he asks him out.” Kenma stated and then went back to studying, or at least tried to. 

Kuroo looked over at Bokuto, worried that he would go through an emo phase if he realized that he could’ve asked Akaashi out at any time. However, he was met with a Bokuto who was deep in thought; brows furrowed and finger on his chin as he thought. After a while, the owl then stood up with a new burst of energy. 

“Kenma! You’re such a bro! Like I would’ve thought Kuroo would be the one to tell me this stuff but you’re the man right now!” He had shouted with happiness but was then shushed by the librarian. “Sorry…”

“I could’ve told you all that myself but my Kenma is always the one that beats me to things.” Kuroo pulled his boyfriend close to his side as he showered the shorter man with affection. 

“I’m gonna make this the best date Akaashi’s ever been on!” With a newfound encouragement, Bokuto started to plan the details in his head. “Yeah, this is gonna work out.”

* * *

He had kicked Kenma and Kuroo out of the apartment, wanting to have Akaashi come over than him going over to Akaashi’s - which was all the time. Bokuto had ran to the store, grabbing ingredients and a ton of chapstick to prepare for the date. Bokuto wasn’t the best cook but he knew what he was confident in. He had to promise his roommates that he wouldn’t burn the place down, saying that he would make an easy dinner because ramen was easy.

Ramen.

He was going to make ramen. Not just any ramen, but instant ramen.

He would make it look like it was home-cooked by adding vegetables and meat in it; Akaashi wouldn’t tell the difference, right? Even so, he had texted Akaashi after he left the library, telling him to come over to the apartment around 6 and to dress nicely. He got a confirmation text from him after a bit and then it was go time. 

Now, as the noodles were boiling, Bokuto had been applying chapstick every ten minutes to keep his lips as moist as possible. The fragrant scent of cherries and boiled noodles wafted around the tall man as he moved around. 

He had also bought ingredients for onigiri, the one thing that he actually _knew_ how to make. Time passed on as he worked, applied the chapstick, and set everything out on the small dining table. Hands on his hips, Bokuto puffed out his chest in accomplishment. He was feeling good about this, about himself. He looked at the time.

“Let’s change out of these,” he said to himself, proceeding to chuck off his shirt and finding a nice button up. As he was tucking the shirt into his pants and folding up the sleeves, the doorbell rang. He looked himself in the mirror, swiped his brows with his fingers and pointed in the mirror. “You are a fine looking man if I do say so myself, Bokuto Koutarou.” He changed positions, “Why thank you Bokuto, I appreciate your kind words.” The doorbell rang once more. “Okay, let’s just pretend I didn’t just do that to hype myself up.” He swiped a heavy hand down his face, feeling the nerves start to roll up into his being. 

Taking his chapstick to swipe it quickly over his lips, he went to the door and opened it. 

“Hello, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi greeted, his eyes were taking in his attire as Bokuto did the same. 

“Hey, Akaashi! Come in,” he moved aside so that the other could enter the household. Bokuto led him to the dinner table, pulling out the chair for Akaashi. 

“You cooked?” Akaashi asked as the other sat down, a proud smile on his face. 

“You can say that. Since you cook for me all the time, I thought I should at least make you something. How was your day?” 

The two went into a comfortable conversation, as usual, talking about everything and nothing; enjoying each other’s company. It was a different feeling though, a slight change in each other’s manners. From time to time, their feet would bump into each other, Bokuto would wipe off rice or a stain that was on Akaashi’s face, Akaashi would put his cheek in his palm and look at Bokuto like he was the most precious thing ever. Of course, throughout this whole ordeal, Bokuto would apply his chapstick while Akaashi wasn’t looking. 

“How was the ramen, ‘Kaashi? Was it good?”

“Yes, you did a great job at disguising store bought ramen, Bokuto-san.” He let out a small laugh as Bokuto pouted.

“How’d you find out?” 

“I just know.”

“Well, I made the onigiri myself! I promise!” Bokuto stated, trying to convince Akaashi that he was telling the truth.

“I know you did,” Akaashi said, looking at the rice ball in his hand with a smile.

“Huh? How’d you know?” Bokuto tilted his head as he asked.

Akaashi didn’t answer right away, he just looked at the food in his hand, then at Bokuto. He smiled and said, “It tastes like home.”

Bokuto froze, staring at Akaashi in awe. His heart was pounding, the adrenaline in his blood rising. He wanted to kiss Akaashi, wanted to hold Akaashi, to confess to Akaashi. However, one thought made him do the opposite. He suddenly stood up, startling his date, and said, “I gotta use the bathroom! Be right back.”

He dashed into his bathroom, quickly pulling out the tube of chapstick and smothering it all over his lips. It was the mood and the way Akaashi looked at him to know that he was going to make his move. Bokuto wanted to give Akaashi the best kiss ever, but he needed his lips to be in check if he were to do so. After the chapstick, he quickly, almost running, walked back to the dinner table.

“Bokuto-san are you okay?” Akaashi stood up, concern written all over his face as he made his way to Bokuto. 

“Yeah,” was all he said as he places his hands onto Akaashi’ shoulders, thumbs rubbing circles into them. They both stared at each other, not saying anything; Bokuto taking in all of Akaashi’s face as the other looked at his lips. Bokuto leaned in slowly.

“Bokuto-san, your lips are pink.” Bokuto stopped, thrown off by Akaashi’s statement. “Is that lipstick?”

Bokuto wrenched away from his crush, quickly going over to a mirror to look at himself. Lo and behold, his reflection showed the pink lips as well as the whole pink mess that surrounded his lips. He had put on so much chapstick with such force while in the bathroom, he didn’t realize that the substance had rubbed off in chunks and smeared the pigment everywhere. Bokuto groaned in embarrassment.

“I swear it’s chapstick, Akaashi.” He looked over to the other man, who was laughing. Bokuto stared as Akaashi laughed, slender hand covering half of his face as he laughed with an open mouth shaped in a smile. The sound of his laughter blessing Bokuto’s own soul. “Hey, don’t laugh at me,” Bokuto whined but smiled as he made his way over to Akaashi.

“I’m sorry, Bokuto-san. You’re just very cute. I can’t help but laugh.” Akaashi explained as he calmed down, a soft smile plastered on his own face.

“Yeah?” Bokuto said and slid his arms around Akaashi’s waist, pressing each other close together. The other’s hands were placed around Bokuto’s neck, his head tilted playfully.

“Yeah.” And then they kissed. 

* * *

“You got everything?” Bokuto asked Kuroo as he lifted Kenma’s suitcase into the trunk of Kuroo’s car. 

“Yup, that’s everything.” Kuroo confirmed, closing the trunk and gave Bokuto a bro hug. 

Months had passed and it was almost the end of the year. Kuroo had booked a resort for him and Kenma to enjoy before the new semester of college began in some weeks. 

Akaashi and Kenma had been talking off at the side while the other two were packing everything. Noticing it was time to go, Kenma said his goodbyes to Akaashi and Bokuto.

“We’ll see you guys next year!” Kuroo called from the driver’s side, grinning from ear to ear.

“Just say we’ll see them later, Kuro.” Kenma said as he pulled out his switch.

“Same difference,” was all Kuroo said as he drove off, leaving the other two men watching as they drove away. 

Bokuto put an arm around Akaashi, pulling him into his body. “It’s gonna be lonely without them.”

“I’m still here, Bokuto-san.” They looked at each other and smiled at each other dearly - sharing a peck on the lips after. Even without the rowdiness of Kuroo’s behavior and Kenma’s games blasting in the distance, Bokuto still had Akaashi by his side. 

“Let’s go do something!” Bokuto exclaimed to his boyfriend, who nodded.

As days passed, the couple had gone on some dates, Akaashi cooked dinner and stayed over with Bokuto, not willing to leave the big owl alone. Shared kisses were evident throughout the days, whether they were short pecks of affection or a long session of learning each other’s mouths. The two hadn’t gone far than kissing and the occasional touch under the shirt. 

It was New Year's Eve, the two were watching TV as everyone in Japan was- counting down the seconds of a new year. When the countdown went to zero, Bokuto and Akaashi cheered as they celebrated the new year with each other. Bokuto grabbed Akaashi and pressed his lips firmly on the smaller man. They had shared many kisses after they started to go out, but this kiss was different from any other kisses they shared. 

It felt more languid, more heated, more passionate. 

Akaashi raked his fingers through Bokuto’s gelled up hair, earning a deep groan from his partner. Bokuto pulled away to look Akaashi in the eyes. “Hey, ‘Kaashi, you wanna do it?”

Akaashi didn’t mean to but a small scoff released from his mouth at the blatant words of his boyfriend. “Do you want to do it, Bokuto-san?”

“Of course I do! But you know… I want to make sure you wanted it too! If you don’t want to do it, then it’s okay, I’ll wait for you! So you don’t have to worry about saying no. I don’t want to pressure you, you know cause there are some people out there that just want to do it without consent and then they just -“ Bokuto was cut off as Akaashi pressed his lips to his. 

“You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had, do you know that?” Akaashi whispered. “That’s why I love you.”

The words seem to have made Bokuto melt, his whole body going soft as he nuzzled Akaashi’s neck lovingly. “Stop being so cool, Akaashi. You always beat me to stuff like this; I wanted to tell you that I love you first.” A chuckle came from the dark haired man’s throat as he hugged his boyfriend closer to him. 

“I love you, Koutarou.”

“Again.”

“I love you, Koutarou.”

Bokuto pressed his forehead to Akaashi’s. “Again.”

“I love you so much, Kouta-“ this time it was Akaashi who was cut off as Bokuto pounced on his. Akaashi’s back landing on the couch with Bokuto hovering over him. It was a fiery passion that bloomed as the two made contact with each other, hands exploring each other’s bodies, mouths marking skin to be claimed. Bokuto then stood up, picking up Akaashi as if he weighed nothing and began to walk to his bedroom. 

It was romantic but nothing was ever perfect. Bokuto had bumped into items and furniture. Even tripping over his own feet while keeping Akaashi steady in his arms. Even through this, the two laughed it off and continued their wholesomeness with each other. 

“If I would’ve known that this ride was going to be bumpy, I would’ve just walked,” Akaashi said playfully, nipping at Bokuto’s ear as the bigger man set down his boyfriend on the bed. 

“There’s no fun if things just go smoothly, you know,” Bokuto grinned and then proceeded to take his shirt off. 

Akaashi had seen Bokuto without a shirt on from time to time. He knew how strong and well built he was by just looking at him but being able to see it up close, being able to feel it himself - that was a whole new story. Bokuto was firm, almost built like a god; from the broadness of his shoulder, going down to a smaller but still strong abdomen, it made Akaashi be mesmerized by the sight. He placed a hand on Bokuto’s chest, sliding it down the prominent ridges of his abs before tucking his finger into the hem of the pants, tugging the man down to him. 

The couple shared a series of more kisses before Bokuto started to remove Akaashi’s shirt, however, the shirt decided to be stubborn as it caught against his chin, his arms raised up in an awkward angle to indicate that he was stuck. The two chuckled before successfully removing the shirt and throwing it to the side, wrapping their arms around each other to kiss once more. Akaashi felt Bokuto’s hands glide over the toned abdomen of his own body; he might not be built like Bokuto, but volleyball had left him lean and toned.

Pants were removed in the process as the two started to grind and rub against each other, earning soft moans and pleasurable sighs. 

“Koutarou, condom?” Akaashi asked, breathless, and dazed. Bokuto nodded, reaching out into the drawer of his nightstand to search for one. After a while of searching blindly, Bokuto groaned in frustration - having to get up and actually look for it. He grabbed the box of condoms but after picking it up, noticed that there wasn’t any. 

“Hold on,” he said to Akaashi as he searched for his wallet to see if he had an emergency condom, but came up short when he didn’t.

“Koutarou?” Akaashi sat up but Bokuto being the determined person he was, pushed Akaashi back down.

“Wait here, I’m going to buy some condoms and then come back! I don’t want to ruin the mood, so just keep thinking of me, yeah?” Bokuto stared intently into the gun metal blue eyes. Waiting until Akaashi nodded before giving a chaste kiss and throwing his clothes on hastily. 

Bokuto sprinted out the door and to the closest convenience store, bursting through the doors and to the condoms. He was searching for the condoms he usually used when his eyes caught sight a certain brand. He picked it up and his fingers twitched. It was flavored condoms. _Should I buy these?_ Bokuto stared at the box, contemplating. Then pulled his phone out to dial Kuroo.

“Bro, what’s up? I’m kinda busy.” Kuroo was out of breath, slightly irritated. 

“I’m about to have sex with Akaashi and I need condoms.” He stated.

“Then fucking _buy_ some. Are you really doing this to me?”

“Should I buy flavored condoms?”

“ _Should you buy flavored_ -“

“It’s cherry flavored.” 

There was a pause before Kuroo answered. 

“That’s probably one of the greatest purchases you’ll ever have.” Kuroo said.

“Right! Thanks, bro, tell Kenma I said hi,” Bokuto yelled and hung up the phone. Grabbing the flavored condoms and his usual brand, he purchased the items and ran back to the apartment. “I’m back!” He yelled as he started to shed his clothes once again, pausing as he came to the sight of Akaashi bent over with his fingers….

“ _Koutarou~”_

_“_ Oh my god.” Bokuto watched as Akaashi prepared himself, this was a lot to take in. He never imagined Akaashi, his precious Akaashi, to so such a thing. _This must be a dream_ , he thought as he made his way to his boyfriend. 

“Did you get them?” Akaashi asked as he turned over. Bokuto nodded and showed the flavored box. “You bought flavored condoms…?”

“It’s cherry flavored, so you don’t have to worry about it tasting gross,” he looked at the box, “but I’ve never used these before so it could be pretty gross now that I think about it. But I thought it would be cool to try it out! I even asked Kuroo and he thought- “

“You asked Kuroo-san?” Akaashi scoffed in disbelief. 

“Well yeah…” Bokuto and Akaashi froze, looking at each other and processing the box of cherry flavored condoms that was in between the two. It was Akaashi who broke the silence with another laugh. 

“You’re something else,” he said as he smiled fondly to Bokuto. “That’s another reason why I love you.” Bokuto pounced onto Akaashi, too filled with love and happiness as he attacked the raven haired man’s lips. 

“Tell me another reason why you love me.” Bokuto said in a deep voice.

“Do you like it when I say things to make you feel good?” Akaashi asked, looking Bokuto in the eyes and confirming his own statement. “I love that you’re so caring, that you’re willing to help others. I love that your voice, I could listen to you talk all day. I love that you do things that other people don’t. I love that you can always make me feel good and smile. I love that you’re so energetic and happy. I also love your sad and tired personalities too.” Akaashi could make a whole list of why he loved Bokuto, and it still wouldn’t be enough. 

Bokuto felt his chest tighten, he’s never felt this loved before. Yes, his family and friends loved him but this was a different type of love. He cupped Akaashi’s face in his palms and kissed him - spilling his feelings into that kiss. 

“I love you.” He kissed Akaashi’s cheek. “I love you.” Kissed his forehead. “I love you.” His nose. “ _I love you, Keiji_.” Kissed his mouth once more. 

The two shared another passionate kiss, clutching at each other as if they were lifelines. Bokuto, removed the last pieces of clothing from their bodies and grabbed a cherry condom, but Akaashi stopped his hand. 

“I’ll do it for you,” he whispered seductively. “Sit back, and I’ll put it on for you.” Bokuto sat back, watching as Akaashi ripped the condom open with his teeth, releasing a groan from Bokuto, and crawled over to Bokuto’s length and placed the condom on the tip. Akaashi looked up at Bokuto as he slid the condom down with his mouth.

“Where the _fuck_ did you learn how to do that,” Bokuto moaned, watching Akaashi retreat from his length. 

“This actually does taste pleasant, just like your chapstick,” Akaashi commented, bypassing Bokuto’s question and then straddled his boyfriend’s hips. “There’s a lot of things that I can do. I can play dirty if you pushed me to it.” Akaashi said, reminiscing in his words on the first day they met. 

“Then how about you show me how dirty you can be, Keiji.” Bokuto challenged.

“Anything for you,” Akaashi whispered as the two finally were one. 

* * *

Bokuto woke up, reaching over to his side for Akaashi but was met with an empty bed. He sat up, grouchy that Akaashi wasn’t at his side. _Where’d he go?_ He got up out of bed, only putting on his boxers before making his way out of the bedroom. The soft noises of kitchenware made his feet follow the sounds, coming to a sight that he couldn’t help but smirk about. 

There stood Akaashi with his back turned from him, his button-up shirt hanging off of the smaller man’s frame. The long, toned legs being a sight for Bokuto’s eyes as he trailed over the bite marks that were left by his own teeth. His eyes went up the other’s body and landing on Akaashi’s neck, where most of his marks were left at. It was littered with reds and slight purples, bite marks collaring around. A sense of pride bubbled in Bokuto’s body. _Mine._

Akaashi was humming a tune to himself as he made breakfast, not noticing the way Bokuto slid up behind him and wrapped his arms around his body. 

“Bokuto-san, you’re awake,” he said as he tilted his head to look at Bokuto.

“So, we’re back at Bokuto-san now?” Bokuto buried his face into his neck, nuzzling it. “I want you to call me Koutarou all the time, Keiji.”

“Okay, Koutarou,” he whispered and cupped Bokuto’s cheek. “I made us breakfast, if you’re hungry.”

“You’re the best, Keiji! I’m starving!” Bokuto grabbed the plates so that they could enjoy their breakfast in bed, cuddling with each other, and basking in the feeling of each other. After eating, Bokuto grabbed Akaashi, placing him against the bed as he kissed him. It wasn’t the same type of kiss that would lead up to sex but it was the type to show the other how much love he had for him. Bokuto then started to place kisses randomly over his face and then finally landing into the crook of his neck, making Akaashi chuckle. 

“Koutarou, that tickles,” he said, Bokuto raised his head and smiled widely. 

“I love you, Keiji.”

“I love you, Koutarou.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you guys go I hope you guys like it. Also in the first part of this chapter, I made a reference to the movie Doukyuusei (I love that movie, you should watch it if you haven't) but I'm hoping to get the last chapter out in the next week. But I'll make it promising for you guys! Thank you for leaving comments and kudos', it really makes my day that you guys enjoy this; I'll see you guys later!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, you guys! I feel very accomplished that I was able to post this, but I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

Through the time that Akaashi and Bokuto had been together, the two never really had any fights. The occasional dispute and disagreements, but nothing too big- which made their current fight be the biggest fight they would ever have.

“What do you mean, you ‘forgot to tell me’?” Akaashi was sitting on his couch, looking at Bokuto with his scowling eyes. Bokuto was standing in the middle of the room, pacing back and forth from time to time and fidgeting as he couldn’t get the courage to look at his boyfriend. 

“I wouldn’t say forget, ‘Kaashi. It’s more like I didn’t know how to tell you.” Bokuto answered.

“You didn’t know how to tell me you were leaving for another country?” Akaashi’s voiced was raised, quipped, and fast. It wasn’t by much but Bokuto could hear the slight pitch in his voice that was different from his regular tone. He’s never made Akaashi raise his voice at him before, he never thought that his boyfriend _could_ do that; Akaashi was always calm and collected, always showing small gestures of emotions that were more than enough for Bokuto, but this wasn’t the type of emotion Bokuto wanted to see from Akaashi. It was scary.

“I was planning on telling you! I swear! I just wanted to make sure I didn’t mess it up and upset you like now! You gotta believe me,” Bokuto stood in front of Akaashi now, his brows furrowed together in distress as he tried to explain it to his significant other. “Keij-“

“How long.”

“How…?” Bokuto trailed off, confused by being cut off abruptly.

“How _long_ , Bokuto-san.” Icy gunmetal blue eyes met with dull gold. 

“I leave two weeks after graduation.” Bokuto’s voice was small as he said the words. 

“When did you figure out you were going to leave?”

“Remember the game I had at the end of last month? They came to talk to me after we won, they had their eyes on me for a while but they officially asked me to come into their management to see if I could be up to their standards; if I was serious about being a pro volleyball player.” He heard Akaashi stand up to walk around, clearly stressed out. Bokuto watched as he ran a hand over his face, sighing heavily.

“You knew for nearly a month and a half and you didn’t bother telling me?”

“I told you I was gonna tell you!”

“ _When_?!” Akaashi yelled, taking Bokuto aback. “When were you going to tell me? At your graduation, that’s in less than a month? The week you were going to leave? Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Bokuto-san? Were you that eager to leave me?"

“No, no, no, I would never leave you!”

“But you are!”

“No, I meant I wouldn’t break up with you! I love you so much, Keiji. Please, just sit down and let me explain more. I’ll fix this, please, I’ll fix it.” His heart was racing, he could feel the painful beat in his chest; he didn’t know what to do. He tried to grasp Akaashi’s hands but the latter moved away, clearly not wanting to be around the bigger man. “Keiji, don’t be like this.”

“Don’t be like this? How else am I supposed to react? If you told me when you found out, or even a week after you found out I wouldn’t be like this right now. But that’s not the case, is it?” Venom seemed to drip from Akaashi’s mouth as he spat the words to his boyfriend. “I had to find out through Kuroo-san because you could apparently tell your best friend but not your boyfriend.” Akaashi let out a scoff, almost imitating a short laugh.

“Do you not want me to go then?” Bokuto asked. The big owl was devoid of all emotion, confused with himself on what he needed to do to make everything better again. They were normal this morning, eating breakfast and sharing kisses with each other. Bokuto took Akaashi to his college as he usually did, telling his boyfriend that he had practice so he would be late coming home. However, in the time that they were not together, Kuroo accidentally brought up Bokuto accepting an offer to practice and then try out for the team from the management of the MSBY Jackals, making Bokuto come home to an angry Akaashi. 

“What?”

“Do you want me to stay here? Do you want me to tell them no? ” Bokuto looked at Akaashi. 

“Why would you tell them no?” Akaashi asked, making Bokuto put his hands in his hair and ruffled it - getting upset that Akaashi would ask him such a question.

“What do you mean ‘why would you tell them no’? You’re mad at me because I didn’t tell you and I’m offering to stay here with you and you’re still upset with me?! Make up your mind, stop confusing me like this!” Bokuto yelled the emotion that he had kept him started to slowly seep out of his body. His fists clenching by his sides and eyes sharpening to a gaze as sharp as a knife. Akaashi should’ve seen the signs to end the argument. That they weren’t going to get anywhere if it continued but he didn’t.

It felt like hours, but only a few minutes had passed as the two continued to argue, yelling at one another. Bokuto was the first to end the conversion, deciding to leave the apartment without another word to Akaashi. The latter just stared at the door before falling to the couch. His mind seemed to clear up from the haze of anger and adrenaline before becoming a void of sadness. 

“What did I do?” He whimpered as he folded in on himself, his face buried into his hands, tears streaming down his face in heavy waterfalls. It was a petty fight, he knew it, but Akaashi was hurt that Bokuto hadn’t told him that he was going to be leaving. He had the right to be mad at his boyfriend but he didn’t mean to make it a big argument. 

Akaashi was always alone. Being an only child, having parents that worked overtime and away from home, having to live by himself. He was scared that Bokuto was going to leave for good even when he knew that wouldn’t have been the case at all. 

Akaashi cried hard that night, eyes red and chest tight in pain as he wept.

* * *

Bokuto had gone home, ignoring Kuroo and Kenma as he slammed the door shut when he entered his room. Ignored their knocks and questions if he was okay. 

He wasn’t.

He was far from okay. 

Bokuto had thrown himself on his bed, spread eagle on his back as he looked up at his ceiling. He felt numb, not feeling anything around him as he continued to stare. It wasn’t until Kuroo opened the door, sitting himself down on the edge of his bed.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kuroo asked, his voice quiet. Bokuto stayed silent. “There’s some leftover dinner outside, Kenma’s reheating it up for you. C’mon, let’s get you fed, big guy.” Kuroo grabbed Bokuto and practically dragged him to the small dining table. Kenma was plating the food as Bokuto plopped down heavily on a seat, still staring blankly off in space. 

“Here,” Kenma slid the food in front of Bokuto who refused to eat. “Do I need to call Akaashi for he-?” Kenma was cut off as Bokuto sprung into panic mode; shaking his head furiously.

“No, no don’t call- don’t call him right now. Please don’t… I-I can’t, not now please,” Bokuto begged, panic in his eyes as he said his words. “Please don’t call him…” Tears streamed down his face. 

“Okay, okay, we won’t call him. I promise, can you just eat for us, Bokuto?” Kuroo said, placing a hand on Bokuto’s back, rubbing soothing circles into it. The couple looked at each other as Bokuto ate slowly, the tears fresh in his eyes. 

Once Bokuto had finished eating, the two led him back to his bed, both on either side of him as they quietly waited for him to speak.

“You told Akaashi, bro..” Bokuto cried, eyes fixed on Kuroo’s, “You told him and he got really mad at me! W-we both started to argue and I tried to ex-explain it to him but he didn’t want t-to listen. It just k-kept getting worse and I l-left him! I just left him there… by himself.” Seeming to realize that he walked out on Akaashi, he started to cry even harder. 

“Bokuto, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to,” Kuroo threw his arms around his best friend, guilt spreading through his body as he clutched him close, “It was an accident. I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m so sorry.”

“No! It’s my fault! I should’ve told him but I waited too long because I was scared! And now I don’t know what to do, he’s going to break up with me. It’s my fault, it’s always my fault.” Bokuto clenched his hands into Kuroo’s shirt, wrinkling it with a tight grip. Kenma put his arms around both men, softly consoling the two; in all the years Kenma had known Bokuto, he had never seen the man so broken. 

“Bokuto, Akaashi wouldn’t break up with you just like that. Yeah, you should’ve told him as soon as you found out and not from Kuro,” Kenma gave a sharp look at Kuroo, “but Akaashi is probably just hurt right now. You wouldn’t want him to keep things from you right?” He watched Bokuto shake his head. “Exactly but it’s not your fault. Akaashi should’ve heard you out they accuse you.”

“What do I do, Kenma, I don’t know how to even look at him right now.”

“First you gotta calm down. Just take some time to calm yourself and then go to Akaashi. We don’t need you to go to him after you stop crying, you have to think through this. Take as long as you need before you want to talk to him again. I’ll talk to Akaashi later to see how he’s doing but after you guys get it together, you two need to sit down and talk it out.” Kenma didn’t like seeing his roommate cry so heavily, it made him uncomfortable and a bit anxious. Yet, he was willing to help him. Bokuto always helped him and Kuro when they had fights, always stayed with Kenma when he started to feel himself spiral down into the negative chasm. He wanted to give back to Bokuto. 

“Kenma, have I ever told you you’re the man? ‘Cause seriously, you’re the man right now,” Bokuto gave a small laugh, rubbing his eyes from leftover tears. 

“Yeah, Kenma, you’re pretty hot when you take initiative like that.” Kuroo slid in his sly comment, earning a glare from Kenma.

“Shut up, Kuro, you’re in trouble.” Kuroo frowned, getting upset with himself again. Seeing his boyfriend getting sad, Kenma wrapped his arms around him, rubbing his cheek on top of the tall man. “Don’t worry, I know you didn’t mean to cause any of this.” Kenma placed a soft kiss on the crown of Kuroo’s head, as the latter rubbed his face into the chest of his significant other. 

Bokuto watched the two, his chest tightening in pain again as he wished he was with Akaashi again but he listened to Kenma, trying to calm himself enough to be able to think straight. 

“We’re gonna give you some space, okay? I’m going to call Akaashi.” Kenma led Kuroo out of the room, shutting the door and leaving Bokuto by himself in his darkroom. Laying back down, he shut his eyes and let the exhaustion take over his body.

* * *

Akaashi had ended up sitting on the ground in front of his coffee table, head placed on it as he moped. He jumped when he heard his phone ring, fumbling for it and accepting the call without looking at the ID.

“Bokut-.”

“Akaashi.” It was Kenma’s cool voice than Bokuto’s excited one. 

He cleared his throat, making sure he sounded normal before answering, “Kenma, what’s up.”

“You and I both know what’s up. How are you feeling?”

There was a long pause before Akaashi answered; in all honesty, he wasn’t sure what he was feeling. He was sad and upset but it felt so much more than that. “How is Bokuto-san? Is he okay?”

“I asked _you_. How’re _you_ feeling, Akaashi?” Kenma persisted.

“I don’t know what to tell you. I’m sad? Tired? I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now. I just need to know if Bokuto-san is okay? He’s home right?” Akaashi started to panic. What if Bokuto didn’t go straight home? What if he’s wandering around right now?

“He’s in his room sleeping, right now. I told him to take some time to think about what happened. You know this is not that big of a deal if you think about it, right?” Akaashi winced at Kenma’s blunt statement but the smaller boy was right. They were adults, they were old enough to be able to communicate with each other and not take things too far. “But it’s natural to argue, so don’t take my words into too much consideration, yeah?”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right, Kenma,” Akaashi gave out a long sigh, “I was just upset. When Kuroo-san told me, I was confused; of course, I’m happy for him, though. He’s been wanting to go pro for a while and I support him, but why couldn’t he have told me when he found out? We could’ve celebrated together and spent as much time with each other before he left.” Akaashi had started to cry again. “It wouldn’t have hurt so much if he just told me then wait until he was gone. What am I going to do without him?”

“You guys will do long distance.”

Akaashi laughed, “That’s only if he still wants to be with me. I yelled at him and said things I shouldn’t have said. He doesn’t need that in his life at all.”

“Don’t think so poorly of Bokuto.”

“I don’t!”

“Then why are you giving up on him so easily? You guys fought. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be resolved. Akaashi, you’re smarter than this; you know Bokuto wouldn’t leave you at all. You know that you are his main priority and he wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for you. He gave you his heart on a platter and you’re rejecting it because you’re what? Scared? Scared that when he leaves he’s going to cheat on you? Forget about you? Bokuto might not be the smartest but he’s a dedicated man. He’s loyal.” Kenma’s words dug deep into Akaashi’s body; stinging from the truth that was tossed out. 

Of course, Akaashi was scared. Being by himself for a long time, and then getting into a committed relationship obviously put an anxiousness around it. He couldn’t help certain thoughts to pop up in his head, hence him being defensive against his boyfriend. He ran a heavy hand down his face. _I can’t do anything, right._

“I need to talk to him,” Akaashi said, starting to get up and head over to the other’s house.

“No. Bokuto needs time. Let him figure out what he did wrong, give him some space to get his emotions back on track. He’s really on edge now, so just give it a while. You also need to get yourself together, too. What were you going to say to him if I let you near him? The chances of you two arguing again is pretty high. Just think it out for now, okay? I’ll text you how he’s doing.” 

‘Thank you, Kenma. For doing this for both of us.”

“Yeah, well Bokuto’s done the same for me in the past with Kuro.” 

“Thank you.”

“Stop being all sentimental and go to sleep.” With that, Kenma hung up the phone.

* * *

It had been several days since Akaashi had seen Bokuto. With the schedule that the two had with each other, it was hard to get out of it. He had waited every morning for Bokuto to take the train to his school but Bokuto wasn’t there. He had waited for a text from him to talk about random things or tell him that he had practice, but all he got were texts from Kenma about Bokuto. Akaashi had made dinner for two when it was only him eating. 

He and Bokuto had been glued by the hips that it was impossible for him to not think about the older man. Especially when he went to bed alone, the side of the bed empty and cold as he tried to reach out for the warmth Bokuto had always given him. 

But he wasn’t there. 

Now, Akaashi stood in front of his fridge, looking to see if there was anything he could make for dinner. Deeming there was nothing good, he decided to do some late grocery shopping; which went smoothly until he started to walk back him as a group of men started to call out to him.

“Hey, pretty boy! What’s someone like you out here this late?” One of them said to him, but Akaashi ignored him and continued to walk to his destination. “Oi, I was talking to you!” A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

“I’m sorry but I’m not interested.” Akaashi’s voice was monotone, his expression schooled as he tried to look as uninterested as possible. However, he could feel his hands start to get clammy, heart rate starts to speed up. He just wanted to go home. 

“I’ll give you something to be interested in.” A different guy said and shoved Akaashi against a nearby wall. 

_Are you serious_ , Akaashi was exasperated. _Why can’t I just have a normal day by myself? Why can’t people just leave me alone_? 

He didn’t hear anything else the men around him were saying, anger had erupted from him - making him throw a fist back and hit the closest guy to him square in the jaw. He watched as the head was thrown back by the force of it, watched as the man lost his balance and fell. Blood was rushing through his body, making his hands shake and breaking out in a cold sweat. Before he could do anything else, a sharp pain bloomed on the side of his face as his vision was thrown off. He grabbed the wall for balance, blinking as he processed what had happened.

“Who do you think you are, huh?” One of the guys said as he made his way over to Akaashi, grabbing his hair and slamming his body against the wall with enough force for Akaashi to grunt in pain. 

Even in the position that he was in, Akaashi said, “I’m the person who’s about to kick your ass.” He quickly elbowed the man behind him and threw another punch; he felt his knuckles sting at the contact but he was tired of being a victim. Tired of relying on others for help. He was also emotionally unstable from his fight with his boyfriend and this just so happened helped him relieve some stress. 

As strong as Akaashi was for one person, he was outnumbered and thrown to the ground after some time - kicks and punches all thrown his way. 

“C’mon, he’s not worth it anymore.” He heard one of the guys say, listening to their footsteps as they distanced themselves from him. Akaashi managed to sit himself up, grasping his abdomen in pain as he felt his whole body giving out. Being a stubborn person, Akaashi stood up slowly, looking for his fallen groceries to take back home. He just wanted to go home and lay down; he was too tired and injured to even cook. 

Limping home as fast as he could, Akaashi made his way through the silent streets back to his apartment. Making his way up to his door, Akaashi had paused, taken in the sight of a person waiting by his door. The person was big, pacing around as if he were antsy to stay in one spot, the black and white hair framing an angular face. The first time Akaashi had seen it down. 

“Bokuto-san?” He said, watching as the older man quickly averted his attention to Akaashi. 

When Bokuto looked at him, his face fell. Littered around the younger man’s face were cuts and bruises, colors that he wished he didn’t see. Clothes were rumpled and Akaashi seemed to be leaning on one side of his body to keep his weight off his left leg. 

“Akaashi! What happened? Who did this to you?!” Bokuto ran over to the other, grabbing his shoulders and looking over the injuries. 

“I seem to have run into some trouble, but I’m fine. Don’t worry about it,” Akaashi’s voice was void of any emotions, monotone and off-putting to Bokuto, who furrowed his brows together in frustration. 

“Of course I’m going to worry about it. Don’t say something like that. Let’s get you inside.” Bokuto searched through Akaashi’s pocket for his keys, grabbing them and opening the door. He looked over to Akaashi, the dark-haired man not making a move to go inside. Bokuto was irritated, _is he really being stubborn right now?_

Bokuto walked over to Akaashi and picked him up princess style; this made Akaashi blush and sputter out a panic, “Bokuto-san! Put me down!”

Bokuto ignored him and went inside, shutting the door with a foot, and proceeded to the couch; he set Akaashi down gently and went to find a first aid kit. Once found, he grabbed a rag and wet it, bringing it back to the couch with him.

Akaashi watched as Bokuto laid out the suppled from the kit, searching for what he needed. There was a seriousness on Bokuto’s face that Akaashi had only seen a couple of times. Bokuto turned to Akaashi, rag in hand, and took his face into his big palm.

“Are you going to tell me what happened or are you just going to ignore it?” Bokuto said as he dabbed the rag onto the corner of Akaashi’s mouth, not missing the way the latter flinched.

“What does it look like happened? Some guys were bothering me and I got upset, so I punched them first.” 

“You started the fight?” Surprise filled Bokuto’s voice.

“What did you expect me to do? Stand there and let them do what they want to me? Get assaulted and harassed and accept it? I’m not going to wait for someone to save me.” Anger emanated from Akaashi’s voice, his hands trembling. 

“If I were with you, this wouldn’t have happened to you.” Bokuto started to feel guilty; he wasn’t at his boyfriend’s side and because of that, he got hurt. 

“But you weren’t there with me.” Akaashi didn’t mean to say the words, but they were sharp and harsh to his ears and probably Bokuto’s as well; watching as Bokuto’s shoulders fell a bit. 

Tension filled the space between them as Bokuto continued to wipe away blood and dirt from Akaashi’s face. Even with blues, reds, and purples littering his face, Bokuto still thought he was the most ethereal person he had ever met. It showed a different beauty that Akaashi had; Bokuto really missed Akaashi. 

“I’m sorry, Akaashi. I’m so sorry,” Bokuto finally broke after a while, cupping Akaashi’s face and resting his forehead against the other’s. His eyes were closed, clenched shut as if he were punishing himself, tears started to leak from the corners. Bokuto felt fingertips wipe them away, a pair of hands cupping his own face. 

“No, no, it’s not your fault. It’s mine, I should be the one apologizing.” Akaashi had started to cry himself, the overwhelming wave of emotions finally crashing down onto him, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have been so mean to you that day. I should’ve waited for you to tell me then get mad. You had your reasons; I was being unfair.”

“I should’ve told you! But I was so scared, I was so happy when I found out but then I thought about you… I would have to leave you. _You._ My Keiji. How was I going to tell you and then leave after a month?” Bokuto cried out. 

“Koutarou, this is your _dream_ , what you’ve been fighting for. Working hard for. As sad as it is to have to leave, you’re doing what _you_ want to do. I’m happy for you no matter what and yeah, I’m sad but I know we can make it work. I love you so much.” Akaashi smiled warmly to Bokuto who melted at the sight of it. “We were both in the wrong but it was me who shouldn’t have accused you. I’m scared that you’re going to forget about me but I trust you. I trust that you won’t forget about me.”

“I wouldn’t cheat if that’s what you’re thinking! I love you too much, I told you I would run to the ends of the world to be with you, I really meant it that time and I mean it now. As cheesy as it sounds, I just love you that much, Keiji. I could never forget about you!” Bokuto affirmed, clutching Akaashi gently to his chest, making sure the dark-haired man showed no signs of being uncomfortable. 

“I’m really lucky to have met you,” Akaashi whispered endearingly, making Bokuto blush a bright red.

“ _Keiji~_ you can’t just say stuff like that out of nowhere! You’re gonna end up killing me!” Bokuto yelled dramatically, making Akaashi chuckle. Seeing Akaashi smile, Bokuto felt butterflies swarm in his stomach. “But don’t stop saying them to me ever!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Koutarou.”

* * *

“Do you have your passport? ID? Are you sure that you have everything packed?” Akaashi was looking over the luggage that placed beside Bokuto. The taller man scoffed at his boyfriend, having to go over a list of what he had pack five times and then recheck again once they were on the way to the airport. 

“Keiji, we already went through this; I’m pretty sure everything’s packed and I made sure to write on my hand the important stuff that I needed to have on my body! See,” Bokuto shoved his right hand into Akaashi’s face, making sure he saw the jet black lines that marred the volleyball player’s large palm.

“Okay, I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure this went smoothly.” 

“When is everyone else going to come?”

“Probably within the hour, you have at least two more hours before your flight takes off.” Akaashi ushered them to a vacant set of seats, hands clasping one another as they looked at their surroundings. 

After the two had made up, Bokuto had taken the responsibility to make sure Akaashi got better in an impressive amount of time; tending to his wounds three times a day, buying types of ointments, and searching up foods to make to help with the healing process. After Akaashi had healed enough, the two were stuck side by side, not daring to be apart unless it was school or practice that separated them. Bokuto basically moved in with Akaashi, having all of his stuff moved out and placed at the other’s apartment. 

As time continued on, Akaashi and Bokuto did as many things they could do with each other. Going on road trips, the beach, having small dates at their apartment, and then having fancy restaurant ones. They both made sure to make as many memories with each other so they wouldn’t forget one bit of it. When the days of Bokuto’s and Kuroo’s graduation came, it went by in a haze of tears and happiness. Kenma and Akaashi making sure their boyfriends were happy and satisfied the whole day. 

Now, it was time for Bokuto to actually leave. In the span of two weeks after his graduation, he was given his plane ticket and plan from the managers of the MSBY Jackals, making sure his flight and residency were set in stone. It was hard not to feel the sorrow of Bokuto actually leaving for a while but they had managed to keep up with the memories. 

Bokuto and Akaashi waited at the airport for their friends to come and bid the big owl goodbye. 

“I’m really nervous, Keiji,” Bokuto said after a while of silence. “It’s gonna be a whole new place for me to learn by myself. I won’t have you or Kuroo or Kenma there to help me.”

“You’re smart enough to learn, also the managers will be there to assist you.”

“Yeah but it’s not you. I wish you could come with me, it wouldn’t be as sad, you know.” Bokuto looked at Akaashi, sadness taking over amber eyes. 

“Hey, I’m here for you whenever you need me to. I’m just a phone call away.” Akaashi squeezed the other's hand in reassurance, bringing the clasped hands to his lips to places kisses over it. 

“I really, really, _really_ love you, like I don’t even know how to tell you how much love I have for you right now,” Bokuto laughed out, placing a kiss as well on their hands. 

“I feel the same way,” Akaashi answered back.

“Well I sure hope you do after last night’s round,” Bokuto smirked, eyebrows wiggling as Akaashi flushed a pretty pink color. 

“Don’t bring it up in a public place, Koutarou.”

“What? But it’s true! You like it when I-“ Akaashi shushed the other with a chaste kiss on the lips, making Bokuto melt in the small affection. 

“Look, there's Kuroo and Kenma.” One by one, family and friends gathered around the couple, making remarks and hugging as the time ticked away. The group talked about as much as they could, reminiscing on favored memories and stories, laughing and taking in the wholesomeness of it all. 

When it was time for Bokuto to board his flight, everyone hugged the big man; “I’m gonna miss you” and “you’re almost there” being heard from Akaashi as he watched the interactions. He watched as Bokuto picked up Kenma in a bear hug, which should’ve annoyed the smaller man, but a warm smile rested on Kenma’s face as he hugged Bokuto back. 

“Dude, when you’re famous make sure to mention your best friend. Best bro. Brother from another mother. Broseph-“

“I’m gonna miss you, bro.” Bokuto clutched onto Kuroo’s back, making the taller man freeze at the sudden affection but ending with him hugging just as hard back.

“You’re growing up too, fast, slow down a bit at least,” Kuroo cried, patting Bokuto on the head when they let go. 

“Don’t worry, I’m gonna be just as tall as you when I get back! Just you wait!” Bokuto exclaimed, smiling his signature smile. 

“Sure you will,” Kuroo smiled and then looked at Akaashi. “We’ll give you guys some space.”

Everyone distanced themselves from the two, making sure they had the privacy. 

“Koutarou, I’m so proud of you. You’ve come a long way,” Akaashi wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s neck, burins his face in the crook of it. “You’re going to be a star, shining so brightly that everyone can’t help but look at you.”

“Keiji, I couldn’t have done it without you. You get me out of my moods and encouraged me so much. I wanted to make you the proudest of me, I want to show you that I’m capable of doing things too.”

“Of course you are, look at you. I know you’ll make it far,” Akaashi pulled back slightly, looking Bokuto in the eyes, “just don’t forget about me.”

“Never.” Bokuto stated and pressed his lips to his boyfriend’s. It was slow, passionate, and the most emotional kiss that they had ever shared. They grasped at each other, making sure the other was real, making sure that they were grounded together. They broke apart, eyes heavily lidded and breaths panting. Before Akaashi could go in for another kiss, Bokuto jumped up, slapping his forehead. “I forgot!”

“Koutarou?” Akaashi watched as he was detangled from the other; Bokuto dug through his pockets until he found what he was looking for, smiling. 

“Keiji, we’re forever. Okay? Well, I hope we’re forever but I just want to make sure everyone else knows it.” Akaashi was going to question what Bokuto was going on about until the other grabbed his hand, “this is my promise to you, Keiji.” A ring was slipped onto his finger, a simple band but it was enough for Akaashi to tear up. 

“What- when did you…”

“I’ve had this for a while but I wanted to make sure it was a special enough day to give it to you. That'll make you think of me all the time!” The grin that was on Bokuto’s face beamed, happy that Akaashi didn’t reject it. “Also, if anyone tries to hit on you, just show them this and a picture of me and it’ll get them off your back!"

“I don’t think that’s how it works but yes, I’ll make sure to show it.” Never in his entire life, Akaashi was able to smile like the way he was now. 

“I promise, I’ll take you out and ask you properly when I come back. But can you handle this for now?”

“Yes, of course. I love you,” Akaashi pressed a kiss to Bokuto, both happy and content. When the intercom announced that his flight was starting to board, Bokuto and Akaashi looked at each other sadly.

“I’m going to come back to you, no matter what. I’ll call you when I land and then every day, I’ll make time to talk to you.”

“I’ll wait for you to come back. Now, go on before they take off without you.” Akaashi said playfully and earned a pout from his boyfriend. He took him as far as he could, watching as Bokuto got his stuff checked out and was officially leaving. 

“I love you, Akaashi Keiji!” Bokuto yelled, arms flailing around.

“I love you, Bokuto Koutarou!” Akaashi yelled back, smiling and waving goodbye. 

Bokuto smiled back and turned around, leaving behind the love of his life as he boarded his plane. 

Akaashi started to walk back to the others, taking his time as his distance with Bokuto got longer. He was about to make it over to Kenma and Kuroo when he felt his phone buzz. Opening it, he saw it was a text from Bokuto with a picture attached. He was seated by the window, a peace sign thrown up as he cheesed hardly.

_‘I’ll see you soon!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone who's left a kudos or comment, or both. Even those who just read the story in general. I'm glad that there are people who like reading my stories and it really makes my day to see you all happy! This was a story that took a long time to write lol but you guys are so nice and patient with me, it warms my heart. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and being a part of this journey with those two volleyball dorks!


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